If you’re breaking out in cold sweat worrying about Valentine Day tomorrow I’ll advise you to take a chill pill.
Instead of celebrating on an obviously bad traffic night (knowing Friday jams in KL) marked commercially as February the 14th opt instead for a relaxed dinner with the freshest ingredients from Kansai, Japan on the 19th – 21st Feb 2014.

It can’t any more special than this. For one, while everyone is eating Australian beef or local chickens, your loved one (could be your parents, spouse, siblings or close friends) is chewing on freshly flown in seafood from the Kansai region of Japan.
The dinner is limited to 30 pax per night and is by reservations only.

I had the privilege to sample a few courses out so here’s a sneak peek of what you could expect.

1st course: Fresh Hiroshima Oyster with Ponzu Vinegar Gelee.
Oyster. A big fat one too.
I was told that oysters are in their best flavours in winter and coincidentally Japan is experiencing winter now. The folks at Kampachi are sure serious about the freshness of the produce served in their outlets.
Needless to say, this oyster was beyond reproach.

Suminomo: Clear soup with Clam, Japanese Mustard Spinach, Julienned Leek and Young Japanese Pepper Bud.
This clear, concentrated sea- sweet consomme is another unique item; not quite a seafood soup but more of a robust clam stock.
The leek used is called “Kyjyo”; imported from Kyoto and is supposedly effective to simultaneously mask any fishy odour and enhance the natural sweetness of seafood.

My favourite element of any Japanese meal was next; the sashimi.
Thick slices of tuna, arkshell and yellowtail were artfully presented in a hollowed orange bowl perched on a bowl of ice.
The seafood were all expectedly fresh but the arkshell really stood out for its crunch and bouncy bite.

Box Sushi With Seabream, Prawn and Conger Eel.

The Conger Eel was first to disappear. It was almost like the anango (sea eel) that I highly favour and always order whenever I see it on any Japanese restaurants’ menu. I only wished that a thicker slice was served. Given a choice, I’ll request for all 3 sushi to be replaced with just the conger eel! 🙂

Grilled Wild Amberjack with Teriyaki Sauce garnished with marinated Manganji Green Pepper.
This is a meal that was educational both on the palate and brains. As you can see from the menu above, expect to taste some exotic ingredients like Kyjyo, Manganji Green Pepper, Kintoki and more in this 9 course dinner.
Don’t be shy to ask for further explanation from the chef as it is a limited pax dinner and Chef Koji Tamaru will be present and preparing each course himself.

In the actual Kaiseki menu on 19th – 21st Feb, the fish for this course is the Wild Amberjack of which Chef Koji Tamaru assured us will be more succulent and tastier than the yellowtail that we were served that day.

Dessert: Yuzu Pudding.

Besides the special dinner from 19th – 21st Feb 2014, you can enrol your loved on for a Takoyaki making class or immerse yourself with some unique Japanese cultural performaces on the 15th & 16th as well as 22nd and 23rd February 2014. The place to be is Kampachi at Pavilion KL.NOTE: The Kansai promotion is EXCLUSIVELY for Kampachi Pavilion.